The number of networked devices in local area networks such as home networks is on the rise, and so is the amount of data stored on them. Typically, home network users store and access several types of content (such as audio, video, image and other data files) in different formats on/via their home devices. In addition to accessing these, home users also commonly access audio/video broadcast data streams via broadcast television or cable networks.
Further, the amount of information available on sources such as external networks, the Internet (e.g., the World Wide Web), etc. is continually on the rise. For example, it is very likely that a user can find useful information on the Internet related to at least some of the data stored on the devices in the user's home network. It is highly likely that the user can find large quantities of such related information in different formats (structured, semi-structured and unstructured) via multiple sources.
However, there is no system available that would allow a user to access such related information easily and seamlessly. The only way a user can achieve this is by manually performing a search for the desired information using an Internet search engine or by directly accessing a website (through a Web browser) that the user believes may contain such related information. Thus, the user is forced to comprehend and analyze large quantities of information to identify/access the exact information the user is looking for.
There are existing approaches in which a user can obtain information in a network of resources. In one approach, the user requests the information. The user specifies information using keywords and then browses the information to find the piece of information that satisfies the user's needs. However, specifying keywords using devices without keyboards, such as consumer electronics (CEs) devices, can be a tedious task.
Another approach involves a configuration that uses a TV and a PC. The PC analyzes the subtitles of the TV program and categorizes the program as general, news, medical, etc. The hierarchy of categories is fixed and built from questions posed to broadcast TV viewers. Content of a particular program is mapped to a fixed number of categories. The user can view additional information only when the content matches one of the specified categories. Queries are linked to fixed sources, limiting the amount of information that can be retried for the user. Further, the PC is required and the system cannot function when the PC is turned off. There is, therefore, a need for a method and a system for analyzing and obtaining information of interest to the user, without limiting specific sources of information.